Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Get A Digital Job In Retail
What about a digital job in retail?
Digital & social media has turned the retail industry upside down, many are struggling to keep up, so getting a digital job in this industry makes sense, they need you!
Over 70% of retail websites are not responsive and considering most people will shop via mobile you can see immediately why digital savvy people are needed. Retail companies have to acquire the digital skills to keep up or they’ll be swallowed up by their competitors.
If you’re seriously considering going into retail then you can’t think just about the channel anymore. No longer can you tell a customer to follow you on Twitter it’s about you knowing where they are, what channels they’re on, how they like to shop, what they’d like to accessorize the product with, when and where they’d like to collect the product and so much more. If you want a digital job in retail you will have to understand omni channel where the focus is always customer centric.
Every customer is digitally connected , in their homes, their car, in their pocket, they are constantly in a digital state & this is also the case when it comes to their shopping.
A typical scenario could be taking a photo of a dress they like, sharing it on Instagram to see how many of their friends like it, search online for price comparisons, check via mobile for customer ratings and promotions, check via their tablet to see if it can be delivered to the office that day for the big wedding tomorrow.
If retail is where your dreams lie then in what area can your digital skills be used for?
Is digital retail the digital job for you?
The experience
Why should anyone get up off their backside and go into shops anymore when they can order online? Shops have to now be about the experience first and buying the product second. Take a look at the Audi digital showroom in Picadilly Circus, you can personalise your car, visualise the car life size on the video walls, using hand gestures you can explore every angle and you can explore your car in your chosen colour, with your added on features and more before purchase!
Perhaps your skills will be required in retail for creating the right experience.
McDonald’s UK created interactive “Happy Meal Play Zone” , a digital play area for five to nine year olds, because of that 87% of those five to nine year old wanted to visit McDonald’s more!
Gucci Milan is a able to reproduce life size interactive images of a fashion show, customers interact with the images using gestures.
Sunglass hut has cameras which enable social sharing for people trying glasses on
This is an exciting area, if more people share the experience then that will bring more people into the stores.
Distribution
Same day delivery, sometimes within minutes wherever you want it delivered to. Have a look at shutl who are doing this very well. Remember how we have to be completely customer centric, the customer doesn’t want to wait at home all day between the hours of 9am – 5pm they want their dress delivered to their office within the hour! Shutl have even been able to get deliveries to clients within minutes, how amazing is that! Because of this that means there’s lots happening in distribution, could this be the area for your digital skills?
Mobile
Understanding that shopping is now done from the pocket and millennials are driving it. Creating mobile retail strategies could be an area to break into as well as helping your employers understand the shopping habits of millennialls via their mobiles.
They have to understand that this generation want meaningful, fun and ethical and they want to check it all out first via their mobiles.
Social media
The retail industry needs people to engage their customers via social media during the research period, whilst they’re shopping and after the purchase, think you’re up for it?
Every like, share, RT & check in about the brand is social proof, this is how Gen Y do their shopping, they look to see what their friends are up to. If approximately 68% get their news from social media and 66% look up a store after their friends have checked in there and gen Y are expected to outspend Baby Boomers by 2017, there’s a need for social media savvy people in retail. Research has suggested that 65% of UK consumers prefer to contact a brand via social media than a customer service line, so perhaps you could be employed purely for customer service across the social networks, there’s going to be plenty of opportunities.
JOIN Jobhop and spread the word.
Julie Bishop Jobhop.co.uk
Picture Credit MTA
In:- Digital